


I Will Always Find You

by steggyistruelove



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 21:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20627876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steggyistruelove/pseuds/steggyistruelove
Summary: AU: Eugene arrives at Rapunzel's tower too late to save her, but he'll be damned if he doesn't try to rescue her. With the help of his friends and some unexpected allies, he will find her.





	I Will Always Find You

The tower was a tall lonely figure as Rapunzel and Mother returned near dawn, Rapunzel didn’t question when Mother ushered her through a door at the base of the tower, she’d never seen before, she guessed this was how Mother got in and out of the tower when she had been small, and her hair was too short to climb.

Following Mother up the curving staircase, they, at last, came out through a hole in the floor of the main tower, everything was as Rapunzel left it, though it seemed gloomier now. Glancing at her painting to the floating lanterns, Rapunzel sighed, it had been a wonderful night, right up until Eugene left her.

Fighting back tears, she pushed the thought away, he had left her after he got what he’d wanted. Mother had been right about that, there was nothing she could do about it. It hurt too much to think about right now, at least she’d seen the lanterns, and the village with all the people, those memories she would treasure forever.

Silently, she followed Mother up to her bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed, the flag Eugene had bought her gripped tightly in her hands, while Mother undid the elaborate braid the village girls had done for her.

“There.” Mother said once the last flower had been plucked from her hair and the braid was completely destroyed, much like Rapunzel’s heart.

“It never happened. Now, wash up for dinner. I’m making hazelnut soup.” As tempting as hazelnut soup usually was Rapunzel kept her head low, she didn’t want hazelnut soup, she wanted the feeling she’d had on the bay back, a feeling like anything was possible.

Mother stopped in the doorway when Rapunzel didn’t respond and sighed.

“I really did try, Rapunzel. I tried to warn you what was out there. The world is dark and selfish and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it.” Mother said, closing the curtain behind her as she left, with a sigh, Rapunzel laid back on her bed. Holding her stolen treasure of the flag up before her, Rapunzel looked at it, she’d have to hide it from Mother she supposed. But her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed something odd.

She had seen the sunburst emblem on the flag before, not just in the town, but here in the tower, frowning Rapunzel studied the paintings above her. There was the emblem, and there it was again! In nearly every painting Rapunzel had ever done, a sunburst appeared. Suddenly it all made sense, all those years, locked inside a tower. All those lanterns on her birthday, every year on her birthday. And then there was the mosaic in the town square, the baby princess looked like her!  
“Agh!” Stumbling back, she knocked into her dressing table.

She was The Lost Princess!

Rapunzel had barely had time to collect her racing thoughts when she heard Mother coming up the stairs.

“Rapunzel? Rapunzel, what’s going on up there?” Stumbling to the doorway in shock, Rapunzel had to grip the curtain to keep herself upright.

“Are you all right?” Rapunzel’s mind was racing, but somehow she heard herself say the words, though softly.

“I’m the lost princess.”

“Oh, please speak up Rapunzel. You know how I hate the mumbling.” Mother snapped, making Rapunzel look at the woman as if for the first time.

“I am the lost princess! Aren’t I?” Rapunzel said louder, the look of shock on Mother’s face confirmed it in Rapunzel’s mind.  
“Did I mumble, Mother? Or should I even call you that?”

“Oh Rapunzel, did you even hear yourself? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?” Mother said trying to brush off Rapunzel’s accusation.

“It was you! It was all you!” Disgust and anger filled Rapunzel’s tone, her once loving mother was no more, with narrowed eyes, the woman Rapunzel had called mother spoke.

“Everything that I did was to protect… you.” It was a lie, Rapunzel could see that now, angry she shoved her away and headed down the stairs, Mother calling after her.

“I’ve spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my power… but I should have been hiding… from you!”

“Where will you go?” Mother demanded.

“He won’t be there for you.”

“What did you do to him?”

“That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes.” Mother seemed pleased with sharing the particular piece of news.

“No!”

“Now, Now. It’s all right. Listen to me. Everything is as it should be.” Mother reached out to pat Rapunzel’s hair, but Rapunzel was faster seizing the wrist before the hand could touch her.

“No! You were wrong about the world. And you were wrong about me, and I will never let you use my hair again!” As she made her declaration, mother pulled away, overturning the looking glass causing it to shatter. Rapunzel didn’t care, she just turned way.

Only to hear Mother’s voice only darker and more terrifying.

“You want me to be the bad guy? Fine. Now I’m the bad guy.”

* * *

The thundering of Max’s hooves on the earth roared in Eugene’s ears, despite what he was certain was breakneck speeds, it did not feel as though they were going fast enough.

All sorts of horrible thoughts kept racing through the thief’s mind as he raced to save Rapunzel. What if he was too late, what would the witch do to Rapunzel if he didn’t make it to her in time? He was too afraid of the answer to pursue that line of questioning further.

At long last they reached the hidden glen, leaping from Maximus’ saddle without slowing down, Eugene raced towards the tower as fast as his legs could carry him. When he reached the base, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out.

“Rapunzel? Rapunzel, let down your hair!”

There was no response to his cries, his heart racing, he began to climb the tower the only way he knew how, using the arrows that were still embedded in the mortar from his descent. Pulling himself through the open window Eugene was met with a terrifying sight.

The tower room was in complete shambles, as if there had been a struggle, bowls that once held fruit had been turned over and a washing basin upset spilling water everywhere. A mirror lay in shards on the floor, as someone had toppled it. The wardrobe door was left ajar to reveal it was empty, and a curtain to what Eugene imagined was Rapunzel’s bedroom was half torn down.

“Rapunzel!” Still, there was no response, as he searched the tower in vain for the blonde, she was gone. Abducted once again by a woman Eugene suspected wasn’t her mother at all.

At a loss of what to do, Eugene sank down to the ground and buried his face in his hands, Rapunzel was gone, and Eugene had no idea where she had been taken to, or if he would ever see her again. He had failed her.

He felt something tug on his pant leg and looked down to see Pascal looking up at him sadly, the sight of the lizard made Eugene’s stomach churn if Pascal had been left behind, then things must truly be bad for Rapunzel.

No words were needed to know that the chameleon had seen the entire struggle, Eugene scooped up the lizard, the creature turning as blue as the man’s vest. Rapunzel would have known what to say at this moment. She wouldn’t have given up either. She would have been rushing out to The Snuggly Duckling to get help if she was in Eugene’s place.

That was it!

“Max!” Eugene yelled out the window as he tucked Pascal into his pocket and climbed out the window and back down the tower’s exterior as quickly as he could.

“Come on, we’re going to save Rapunzel!”


End file.
